English Language Development
September 2015
Happy Autumn!!
I hope you are all enjoying your week! Here is the second edition of the English Language Development newsletter. Below you will find information regarding your student's ELLP, grade level language targets, and upcoming dates! As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns!
x Rachel Gerfen
English Language Learning Plans
My goal for this year was to have each ELLP created and finalized by the end of September; however, I'm not entirely sure this will happen. Douglas County School District's ELD Department is in the process of updating our ELLP system. Once up and running, the new program should streamline the ELLP process. After I hear from my coordinator, I'll contact you with new tentative dates for ELLP conferences.
Language Focus for September
Language Focus:
Describing actions
Describing physical attributes
Topics (Related to grade-level PBL):
Kindergarten--Family
The kindergartners will be working on describing their family members using color and size words. For their upcoming PBL project, they will be interviewing a family member; in order to prepare, they will be working on verbally asking clear simple questions. They will also be reviewing the classroom letter of the week.
1st Grade--Narratives
The first graders are writing about topics of their choice. The goal for this month is to not only instill a love of writing, but to also relay the message that that anything they think or say can be transformed into writing. We've been working on brainstorming ideas, adding details, and giving stories a beginning, middle, and end. In the midst of the writing, the first graders are also working on verbally describing the differences and similarities between pictured objects. Their goal is to be able to describe the differences and similarities using clear and complete sentences.
2nd Grade--Habitat and Animals
The second graders will be working on comparing and contrasting two different animals. After writing a list of their favorite animals, they narrowed their choice down to two similar, yet different animals. The students will be using a variety of resources to collect research. Ultimately, they will be comparing the animals physical attributes and actions as they create a mock "exhibit" for a science museum.
3rd Grade--No 3rd grade students
4th Grade--Sun and Moon
The fourth graders will be writing a scientific article about how to sustain life on another planet. They are excited to begin their research!! They worked on devising higher order research questions that will not only expand their critical thinking skills but will also give them a deeper understanding of their topic. Their scientific article will tie into their final project for the 4th grade sun and moon science unit.
5th Grade--Mixtures and Solutions
The fifth graders will be working on describing the processes by which we combine or separate mixtures and solutions. A big focus will be on incorporating specific academic and technical vocabulary into their speech and writing. They will be evaluating different methods for separating solutions or mixtures. Ultimately, their goal is to create an action plan for a real-world crisis involving mixtures and solutions.
How can I help my student at home?
My suggestion for this month is to simply have a conversation! Through conversations, students develop oral fluency, increase vocabulary, and build relationships. Occasionally, have your child describe different items you might see at home or outside. This could even work at the grocery store! Encourage your student to describe the objects using clear sentences and phrases. The sentences can be about anything they like (i.e. what something looks like or what they do with it), as long as they are providing in-depth responses. The quality and quantity of responses, of course, will vary depending on age. Just look for more than one-word responses.
Upcoming Dates!
August 31st--September 5th
September 8th--11th
CogAT testing for fifth grade students
September 14th--18th
September 21st--25th
September 25th PLC Day (No students)
September 28th-October 2nd
September 29th School-wide RTI (Response to Intervention) meetings (Some group times will be changed)
October 1st ELD Department Meeting 11:30-3:30 (No afternoon ELD groups/support)
Contact Information
Email: rachel.gerfen@dcsdk12.org
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/dcsdk12.org/english-language-development/
Phone: (303) 387-5700